Recently I saw an article about my favorite cheesesteak place back home in Philadelphia; Geno’s. There have been a lot of complaints nationwide about a sign they had in the window that said, “THIS IS AMERICA: WHEN ORDERING PLEASE SPEAK ENGLISH”. I can partially understand why people may be bothered by this and think that this is racist, but I also can see why people stick up for him. Geno’s is in South Philly, an area made up of all different races and languages. The food is cheap, quick and famous worldwide. When ordering, you have to be fast and know how to abbreviate what you want. This is where I understand their need for English speaking customers.
I think this can relate to Spillers’ ‘Politics of Melanin’, the idea that Ethnicity only exists in visible markers, such as skin color. This theory claims that white people have no ethnicity. I think this idea relates to my experience because people are calling owner Joe Vento, racist or prejudice against ethnicities, when really he is doing the opposite (according to The Politics of Melanin). The sign is asking for something having to do with the language of cultures. I think it is actually anything but racist because they are leaving that out, and they don’t assume that a white person speaks English, or that a black person does not. In the end the Philadelphia Commission ruled that the sign violate any city laws.
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